On Saturday night at UFC 290, Bo Nickal He announced himself to the world on one of the biggest stages possible. As half of the opening bout on the main card of International Fight Week, Nikall was thrust into the octagon with fellow undefeated, albeit much lower hype, Val Woodburn. While Nikall was undoubtedly a huge (historic) favorite heading into the match, few thought he’d emerge victorious the way he did. A highly decorated wrestler, Nickal will not rely on any of his trading skills that have brought him so far in the world of combat sports and will instead rely on his hands in order to secure a first-round finish via TKO after just 38 seconds into the fight.
Bo Nickel chart
The Rise of Bo Nikal
The win made a lot of fans excited about Bo Nickal’s future. Apart from the Contender Series, the young fighter has only two fights under the UFC banner. However, the 27-year-old seems to be heading towards superstardom after such a short time. Coming into the sport as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the world, Nickal was instantly set for big things and in only his second professional fight found his way up to Dana White’s Contender Series.
The initial win was not enough to secure a UFC contract, as White felt Nickall was still inexperienced. In contrast, another battle is set to happen again in the Contender series. Nikall would go on to win again in a similarly dominant fashion. This would lead to a UFC contract offer.
His first battle would see him face off Jimmy Pickett Where he will win by submitting the first round. His trend of finishing in the first round will continue with his most recent outing at UFC 290.
Where does Bo Nikal go from here?
The question still remains, what’s next for Bo Nikal? The UFC is well aware that they have a potentially very hot property on their hands with a fighter who probably has the skill set for a World Championship. However, all the potential in the world wouldn’t hide the lack of experience in Nickel’s career. Despite showing promise in the strike division in his most recent competition, the idea that he’ll be able to stay afloat with the best in the division at the moment doesn’t seem realistic.
The UFC would be wise not to rush it and allow him to develop his style further and become more comfortable in the Octagon. While there are many similarities in Nikal’s rise and rise Khamzat ChimaevI think it would be wiser for the UFC to take a measured approach with Nickal rather than drive him to the moon immediately and potentially derail his momentum sooner than is needed.
Potential matches and the road to stardom
The UFC needs to continue to give him tough but unranked opponents, stepping up the name and prestige each time. If the UFC does it twice and Nickal is able to continue at this level of performance, someone in the top 15 might be a viable option. Then if he succeeds there, someone from the top ten. If he picks up a win against a top 10 player, that will then push him down to the lower tier of the title fight and he could end up in the title picture.
If the UFC adopts a strategy like this, Nikall will likely find himself knocking out the top five in four fights or so. Some of the names that might be good for Nickel to test himself in the future would be the likes of Brad Tavaresthen maybe someone like Bruno Silva. Beating names like Tavares and Silva would certainly guarantee Nikhal a fight with a top 15 fighter, maybe someone like Jack Hermanson. Beating the top 15 will allow the top 10, think Roman Doldez For example.
Having a strategy like this will enable him more time to hone his skills and gain some much needed time in the octagon. It will also allow him to get a feel for the different levels of skill sets all over the UFC ladder and will encourage a more gradual acclimatization process rather than dropping him down the deep end right away. If he’s successful in each of those 4 hypothetical fights, he’ll find himself on a 6-fight win streak in the organization and 9-0 overall. This will be more than enough to guarantee a title shot.
While some fight fans might like to see Nickal take a top 10 player in his next fight and be placed in the title picture as soon as possible, that’s not the best course of action. In order to develop him as a fighter and gain the necessary experience, it is essential that he builds himself up in order to fight the best in the division. This is the best route for Bo Nikal to take.
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